In English, the word ‘that’ can be used in a variety of ways, sometimes as a relative pronoun or a demonstrative. The sentence in question – “I was asking you to tell me just what Yorkshire has ①that London doesn’t” – involves a particular use of ‘that’ that can be confusing to non-native speakers. Let’s break it down and understand its usage and the connection it creates between the two parts of the sentence.
1. The Role of ‘That’ as a Relative Pronoun
In the sentence, ‘that’ is functioning as a relative pronoun. It introduces a relative clause, which gives more information about the noun it is modifying. The noun in this case is ‘what’, which refers to something that Yorkshire has that London doesn’t. The word ‘that’ connects the information from the previous part of the sentence (‘what Yorkshire has’) to the information following it (‘London doesn’t’).
The word ‘that’ in this context is used to introduce a defining relative clause, which provides essential information about the subject or object it is referring to. This usage helps clarify the meaning of the sentence by defining what ‘Yorkshire has’ in comparison to London.
2. Understanding ‘That’ in the Context of the Sentence
To understand how ‘that’ connects the two parts of the sentence, let’s break it down further:
- The phrase ‘what Yorkshire has’ is what we are asking about, i.e., we want to know what specific thing Yorkshire possesses.
- The phrase ‘that London doesn’t’ tells us that the object or feature in question is something that is not found in London.
The relative clause ‘that London doesn’t’ directly relates to and explains what Yorkshire has, distinguishing it from what London lacks. So, the use of ‘that’ connects the two clauses, allowing the sentence to make sense as a whole.
3. Clarifying the Sentence Structure
In this structure, ‘that’ functions to link two parts of a sentence: the subject of the question (what Yorkshire has) and the comparison (what London doesn’t have). This helps make the sentence clearer and more fluid, ensuring that both ideas are presented in one complete thought.
When asking a question about a comparison, such as ‘what does Yorkshire have that London doesn’t?’, ‘that’ works as the bridge that connects the two clauses. It defines and emphasizes the distinction between the two places (Yorkshire and London) based on what one has that the other doesn’t.
4. Additional Examples of ‘That’ in Similar Sentences
To further understand how ‘that’ works in similar sentence structures, here are a few more examples:
- “She’s the one that I admire most.” (Here, ‘that’ introduces the relative clause defining ‘the one’.)
- “The book that you recommended was excellent.” (In this case, ‘that’ introduces a relative clause about the ‘book’ that was recommended.)
- “I know a place that serves the best coffee.” (The word ‘that’ links ‘a place’ to the relative clause ‘serves the best coffee’.)
As seen in these examples, ‘that’ often links a noun with a further explanation or distinction, helping to clarify the subject of the sentence.
Summary
In the sentence ‘I was asking you to tell me just what Yorkshire has ①that London doesn’t’, the word ‘that’ serves as a relative pronoun introducing a defining relative clause. It connects two ideas – what Yorkshire has and what London doesn’t – by providing a clearer distinction. Understanding how ‘that’ functions in these contexts can help you use relative clauses more effectively in your own writing and speaking.
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